1. Literary Terms and Vocabulary for The Call of the Wild By Jack London

2. Conflict Throughout his turbulent life, Jack London sought real-life adventure, which often culminated in conflict, violence, suffering, or life-or-death struggles for survival.

3. Conflict Most of his books and tales are built on plots that involve physical force, endurance, and struggle— situations that were second-nature to a man to had pirated California oyster beds, hunted seals in the North Pacific, prospected for gold in the Klondike, and worked as a war correspondent. In fact, London’s works provide some of the most clear-cut examples in American literature of plots that involve characters’ conflicts with other characters, and characters against themselves.

4. 1st Basic Kind of External Conflict Character Against Nature –Prospectors digging for gold in the Yukon –Perrault and François at the Thirty Mile River –The dog team enduring the 2,500 mile trek

5. 2nd Basic Kind of External Conflict Character Against Other Characters –Buck resisting his kidnappers and the dog- breaker –Buck battling Spitz to the death –Buck defending Thornton against Burton –Buck taking revenge against the Yeehats

6. 3rd Basic Kind of Conflict: Internal Character Against Self –Buck’s decision to steal food and lead a less “civilized” way of life –Buck’s struggle to heed the opposing calls of the wild and love for a master

7. Remember… Conflict is the struggle between two opposing forces.

8. Theme Question yourself: –What does it mean to be a human being? –What does it mean to be civilized? –What does it mean to be brave? –What do you learn about yourself when you face the mirror of nature?

9. Theme The Call of the Wild explores the effects of the natural environment and contact with human beings on the primitive and fundamentally noble spirit of the animal embodied in the dog Buck. What follows are some of the themes that run through London's novel:

10. Themes Wild creatures can never truly be tamed

11. Themes Self- preservation is the first law of nature

12. Themes Survivors are those who adapt to changing circumstances

13. Themes Civilization is not always “civilized”

14. Themes Experience is the greatest teacher

15. Themes The urge to survive is ultimately more powerful than the moral law of human civilization

16. Themes Love can be a civilizing force

17. Vocabulary for CTW Belligerent : Warlike

18. Vocabulary for CTW Ignominiously: With disgrace or shame

19. Vocabulary for CTW Ecstasy: Supreme joy

20. Vocabulary for CTW Dominant: Influential, controlling

21. Vocabulary for CTW Imperiously: In an arrogant or domineering way

22. Vocabulary for CTW Inexorable: Inevitable; unavoidable

23. Vocabulary for CTW Fastidiousness: Refined taste; daintiness

24. Vocabulary for CTW Insidious: Sneaky and dangerous; treacherous

25. Vocabulary for CTW Primordial: Belonging to the earliest age

26. Vocabulary for CTW Introspective: Thoughtful about oneself

27. Vocabulary for CTW Rampant: Uncontrolled, wild

28. Vocabulary for CTW Malingerer: One who pretends illness to avoid work

29. Vocabulary for CTW Obdurate: Hard-hearted; stubborn

30. Vocabulary for CTW Pandemonium: A wild uproar, disorder Just Kidding…

31. Vocabulary for CTW Paradox: A seeming contradiction

32. Vocabulary for CTW Precipitate: Too quick; rash Couldn’t resist the pun. Sorry.

33. Vocabulary for CTW Prostrate: Lying flat; completely exhausted

34. Vocabulary for CTW Retrogression: A return to a more primitive state Ms. Labor’s retrogression.

35. Vocabulary for CTW Solidarity: Unity

36. Vocabulary for CTW Travail: Difficulty

37. Vocabulary for CTW Vicarious: Experienced through another person (or clay- man, as the case may be.)

38. Vocabulary for CTW Swarthy Having a dark complexion (usually meant to be disparaging)

39. Vocabulary for CTW Primeval Belonging to the first ages or the primitive.

40. Vocabulary for CTW Unwonted Not the usual or the habit

41. Vocabulary for CTW Despatches Important packages or orders that should be delivered quickly.

42. Vocabulary for CTW Aver To affirm; to state positively

43. Vocabulary for CTW Callowness Immaturity or inexperience

44. Vocabulary for CTW Carnivorous meat-eating

45. Vocabulary for CTW Discomfited Frustrated; confused; defeated

46. Vocabulary for CTW Gratifying satisfying

47. Vocabulary for CTW Inarticulate Unable to express yourself with words

48. Vocabulary for CTW Innocuously Harmlessly

49. Vocabulary for CTW Irresolutely Indecisively

50. Vocabulary for CTW Manifestly Obviously; Plainly

51. Vocabulary for CTW Monosyllabic Having one syllable

52. Vocabulary for CTW Pell-Mell In a jumbled, confused way

53. Vocabulary for CTW Peremptorily In a commanding manner

54. Vocabulary for CTW Pertinacity Persistence; perseverance

55. Vocabulary for CTW Prowess Superior ability; bravery; valor

56. Vocabulary for CTW Salient Standing out from the rest: obvious

57. Vocabulary for CTW Superfluous Unnecessary; extra

58. Vocabulary for CTW Transient Temporary; passing quickly

59. Vocabulary for CTW Usurp To take over or seize UNjustly

60. Vocabulary for CTW Wax To increase; to grow

61. The End.